Money can’t buy you love or good broadband

14 July 2009 – London, UK: Some of the UK’s wealthiest inhabitants and most high-profile celebrities are being left out of the broadband revolution due to poor network availability in exclusive postcodes in the Home Counties, according to Top 10 Broadband.

14 July 2009 – London, UK: Some of the UK’s wealthiest inhabitants and most high-profile celebrities are being left out of the broadband revolution due to poor network availability in exclusive postcodes in the Home Counties, according to Top 10 Broadband.

Renowned for their world famous regattas, Henley-on-Thames and Marlow are the locations of some of the UK’s most sought-after property. They are also home to a raft of wealthy residents – not least Robbie Williams, Heston Blumenthal, whose Michelin-starred restaurant the Fat Duck is in nearby Bray, and Liam Gallagher. Famous former inhabitants, meanwhile, include Boris Johnson and George Harrison.

However, studies show that both areas feature some of the worst fixed line broadband coverage in the country. According to research conducted by Top 10 Broadband, broadband connections in Marlow typically come in under 500Kb per second. This compares with the UK average of 3.6Mb.

As a result, although residents are likely to be among the best-connected celebrities around with positively glittering contact books, it’s likely that many will struggle to even send e-mails to friends and family. Furthermore, they will also be experiencing website loading times that would try the patience of even the longest suffering, most saintly personal assistants of badly behaved stars.

A solution is at hand for the denizens of Marlow and Henley, however. Inhabitants can still secure a connection at broadband speeds by opting for mobile broadband. Top 10 Broadband’s exclusive speed test software reveals that the average connection speed for a Vodafone customer is 2.62Mb – potentially connecting them to the internet at speeds of up to five times they are experiencing.

Alex Buttle, marketing director of Top 10 Broadband, said: “If you thought that poor broadband coverage was confined to windswept crofters in remote villages in the Scottish Highlands, think again.

“Thanks to George Harrison’s band the Beatles, we’ve known for a long time that money can’t buy you love. Our research shows it’s no guarantee of a good home broadband service either.”

“But with mobile broadband offering a readily available solution, there’s no reason that those affected should miss out for a second longer.”

Notes to Editors:

Top 10 Broadband is the UK's most popular dedicated broadband
comparison site.

The website offers a range of comparison tools, allowing users to make
quick and easy broadband buying decisions.

Top 10 Broadband is run by Formula, a leading web design and marketing
company.

uSwitch Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 312850. You can check this on the Financial Services Register by visiting the FCA website.